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FDA, Global Agencies Shut Down 1,677 Illegal Online Pharmacies

Friday, June 28, 2013

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FDA, Global Agencies Shut Down 1,677 Illegal Online Pharmacies

Friday, June 28, 2013

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U.S. authorities and several international organizations shut down 1,677 illegal online pharmacies that had been dispensing fake and potentially harmful medications this week and seized more than $41 million in illegal medications, FDA announced Thursday, the Wall Street Journal reports (Corbett Dooren, Wall Street Journal, 6/27).

The effort was part of a week-long initiative called Operation Pangea VI, which was organized by the international police organization Interpol.

Meanwhile, teams of international investigators visited online pharmacy websites and used undercover IDs to order drugs as part of the crackdown. According to AP/Sacramento Bee, some of the drugs the investigators received were delivered in strengths and quantities not available in the U.S. (AP/Sacramento Bee, 6/27). According to Interpol, officials seized several types of fake medications, including:

Antibiotics;

Cancer medications;

Depression drugs; and

Food supplements.

In addition, Interpol officials said 55 people have been arrested or are under investigation for illegally manufacturing or selling unlicensed prescription drugs (Wall Street Journal, 6/27).

John Roth -- director of FDA's Office of Criminal Investigation -- said consumers should be vigilant for red flags, such as websites that:

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The FDA is doing their job, keeping only Big Pharma’s proven meds selling. The money they seized, was from struggling people trying to get their meds cheap, and the meds they seized, were the goods purchased. Score One for The Man! Obama-care, we love you and how easy you make it to see a doctor! Maybe if nasal spray wasn’t 128$ with ins, or my daughter’s acid re-flux medicine wasn’t 38$ an ounce, I would be proud of them seizing all that dope. But they got the heart meds, antibiotics, children’s meds, everything. Pfizer does have a licensed facility in Pakistan contracted to manufacture meds to standards. Everything I got was sealed and Pfizer ( http://onlinepharmacyreviews.org/companies/pfiz... ) made.

July 28, 2014 at 7:06 AM

Dewey Dodrill

The FDA is doing their job, keeping only Big Pharma’s proven meds selling. The money they seized, was from struggling people trying to get their meds cheap, and the meds they seized, were the goods purchased. Score One for The Man! Obama-care, we love you and how easy you make it to see a doctor! Maybe if nasal spray wasn’t 128$ with ins, or my daughter’s acid re-flux medicine wasn’t 38$ an ounce, I would be proud of them seizing all that dope. But they got the heart meds, antibiotics, children’s meds, everything. Pfizer does have a licensed facility in Pakistan contracted to manufacture meds to standards. Everything I got was sealed and Pfizer ( http://onlinepharmacyreviews.org/companies/pfiz... ) made.

July 28, 2014 at 7:04 AM

Dewey Dodrill

If the FDA knows best then they best make the drug companies to stop gouging patients. Dumping the prime-time TV ads would be a good start, use that money to provide low cost medicines. Drug companies: http://medsreviews.com/companies should be notorius for being compassionate, not for screwing their customers.